AI in the Boardroom and C-Suite

Research shows clearly how senior executives spend their time, and quite honestly, most AI Solutions are NOT addressing the day-to-day productivity challenges of the most senior people in business and government.

Most of the AI solutions and technology are improving the work of the so-called ‘knowledge worker’. Quite frankly, a CEO or University VC is more like a traffic cop than a knowledge worker. Their day is spent in frantic 3-minute exchanges where they are directing other people (like a cop directing traffic). They have very little time for uninterrupted knowledge work and rarely get to devote slabs of time to creating large documents or presentations.

Executives typically divide their time into three main categories:

1. Interpersonal roles (such as figurehead, leader, and liaison)
2. Informational roles (monitor, disseminator, spokesperson), and
3. Decision-making roles (entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator, negotiator)

On average, CEOs attend 37 meetings per week, consuming about 72% of their work time.

Senior executives, such as CEOs or Vice Chancellors (VCs) or other top-level leaders, often face uniquely fragmented work patterns, with large portions of their time sliced into short, ad-hoc segments. This reality presents a constant challenge: handling various responsibilities—strategic decision-making, stakeholder liaison, resource allocation, and reputation management—without the luxury of uninterrupted deep work sessions. According to studies, senior executives at the highest levels can spend over 70% of their working hours engaged in brief, highly variable tasks, while other research shows CEOs dedicate around 72% of their time to meetings (Mintzberg, 1973; Porter & Nohria, 2018). In the demanding environment of a university, where the spectrum of executive responsibilities ranges from guiding long-term institutional strategy to addressing unexpected issues with donors, governmental bodies, and faculty leadership, effective time management is essential yet notoriously difficult.

AI-driven solutions can help refine the flow and quality of this time. One of the most promising areas is the adoption of advanced meeting orchestration and scheduling tools powered by artificial intelligence. Traditional scheduling assistants can find available blocks of time, but newer AI tools promise more intelligent balancing of priorities. Rather than merely slotting in an upcoming meeting, these solutions can analyse the significance of the meeting itself, the senior executive’s forthcoming deadlines, and the personal energy patterns that influence cognitive performance throughout the day. In this sense, scheduling ceases to be a mere logistical exercise and becomes a strategic intervention, allowing Executives to prioritise high-value interactions and allocate time more thoughtfully.

AI's role in managing the content of interactions is equally significant. Today’s executives must process large volumes of information quickly. AI-enabled summarisation tools, fuelled by natural language processing, can distil board reports, policy documents, and lengthy research proposals into clear, concise briefings. Virtual assistants can automatically generate key insights from data-heavy spreadsheets—such as forecasts or budget allocations—and deliver them to the executive in near real-time. This capability allows leaders to come into their meetings with a more immediately actionable understanding of the materials, dramatically shortening the lead time needed for pre-meeting preparation. By doing so, these technologies can help senior leaders convert fragmented pockets of time into productive intervals for informed decision-making.

AI's strategic support is also noteworthy. Predictive analytics platforms, often used for financial modelling and forecasting, can aid in scenario planning. Instead of using the CEOs scarce time to pore over spreadsheets and calculate contingencies, the AI platform can quickly iterate through potential scenarios and highlight strategic implications. This expedites decision-making and makes it more responsive, nimble, and data-driven. Where a white-collar researcher or lecturer might use AI tools primarily to improve the production of scholarly work or streamline teaching materials, an Executive uses AI’s cognitive enhancements to navigate the complexity of governance and external relations.

Moreover, the fragmentation in a senior executive’s day often results from their need to maintain a steady stream of contacts across the organisation and beyond. Advanced AI-driven CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and stakeholder engagement platforms can track the frequency and nature of communications, identify emerging issues that require personal attention, and even recommend the best time to reach out. In this way, rather than executives managing these interactions ad-hoc, AI provides a subtle scaffolding that prioritises which relationships deserve immediate cultivation and which can be managed through lower-level delegates or automated follow-ups. For an executive, where reputation and trust are paramount, this delicate balance ensures that essential interpersonal connections are nurtured without overburdening the daily agenda.

The shift is subtle but significant. Instead of viewing AI as merely a set of tools to produce written documents or analytic reports, the senior executive needs to see AI as an orchestration layer that enhances their cognitive bandwidth. While AI cannot replace the high-level judgment and vision required to steer a large organisation, it can free that human capacity from the tyranny of administrative minutiae.

In a very real sense, the role of AI in the boardroom and C-suite is less about generating content and more about freeing cognitive space—safeguarding the executive’s limited uninterrupted time for strategic thinking, while also making the time spent in meetings, briefings, and updates more productive and less draining.

References:

Mintzberg, H. (1973). The Nature of Managerial Work. Harper & Row.

Porter, M. E., & Nohria, N. (2018). How CEOs Manage Time. Harvard Business Review, 96(4), 42–51.

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